


Where the Right Answers Lie

by ShadowSnowdapple



Category: RWBY
Genre: (baby boy is mostly safe- dont worry), Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Everyone wants to kill Ironwood, Gen, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, I wrote a fix it fic for a kill it fic, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury Recovery, Original Character to fill roles that need to be filled and used sparingly, Ozpin left behind some shitty orders, Salem is evil, for a fix-it fic this is a shitty situation, response fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-18 06:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21739648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowSnowdapple/pseuds/ShadowSnowdapple
Summary: A response to a fic by GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe (Read first)James's choice isn't final, but now he has to deal with the fallout- and so does everyone else.
Relationships: Oscar Pine & Everyone
Comments: 14
Kudos: 154
Collections: Real Good Shit





	Where the Right Answers Lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe/gifts).
  * Inspired by [a pyrrhic victory never feels like a win, does it?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21622558) by [GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe/pseuds/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe). 



> Since my good friend, GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe decided to take our discord's idea and stab us with it, I stole the knife back and decided to stab back.
> 
> Read (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21622558) first!

“I suppose that’s one way of getting rid of the issue”

Salem’s voice sent a chill down James’s back as he clung to the small body in his arms, blood dripped down Oscar’s chin as a spreading bloom of red stained his side.

Salem rolled her eyes, “my dear Ozma has become much more careful to not stay with me in recent centuries. I will leave you to your new search for him.” She flashed a fiendish smile, seeming much too pleased with what she saw in front of her.

As Salem turned and strolled to the door before blowing it open and disappearing, James was vaguely aware of someone grabbing his shoulder and another trying to pry his hands off of the limp form of the child in his lap.

“James!”

Qrow yanked him away the moment his grip slackened. Nora lifted the child from his arms as Jaune rushed forward, activating his semblance as Ren helped Nora settle the boy’s body down on the hard floor.

“James, how _could_ you?” Qrow yelled, gripping the lapels of his coat, almost lifting the general off of the floor in his stupor.

James found his head drifting to look behind him, a cold ache in his chest as he saw the group of teenagers huddled around Oscar. He could see Nora gently brushing the boy’s hair as she held back tears, Ruby and Weiss holding his hand in between the four of theirs, Blake and Yang standing behind them, arms around each other with their free hands resting on Ruby and Weiss’s shoulders, Ren standing behind Nora and gripping her shoulder, all as Jaune knelt on the other side of Oscar, his eyes narrowed in concentration as a mixture between sweat and tears drip off his face.

Qrow shook James by his coat and the general’s face snapped back to Qrow, his red eyes burning.

“Answer me, James!” Qrow yelled, shaking him again.

“You were there that day, Qrow,” Ironwood replied in a hollow voice, “you heard what Oz asked of us. It’s cruel, but he was right.”

Qrow’s grip only tightened. “ _Bullshit_ , James. I don’t give a _damn_ about what Ozpin said. We’re talking about Oscar here. He’s _fourteen_.”

“You think Salem cares?” Ironwood pulled one of Qrow’s hands off of him, “he would have been kept on the edge of death for _years_. It’s _mercy_ , Qrow.”

_Smack_

Ironwood wasn’t expecting a blow from behind. It was so hard his head buzzed for a moment before he turned again.

Yang Xiao-Long stood behind him, her eyes red and blazing. Blake clung to her left arm, barely holding the huntress back, her own yellow eyes reflecting a similar fury.

“You _bastard_ ,” Yang yelled, her right, metal, arm raised to strike, “What the actual _hell-_ “

“Miss Xiao-Long-“ Ironwood started and Yang moved to strike again but she stopped herself.

“Don’t you ‘Miss Xiao-Long’ me! You just shot a _fourteen-year-old_.” Yang clenched her fist, “you tried to _kill_ him.”

James’ eyes flitted to the huddle several feet away, “is he-?”

“He’s not dead,” Blake spoke up, “Jaune is keeping him stable. That’s why we came over here in the first place. Call someone. _Now_.” Blake’s voice sharpened to a point.

Qrow’s grip loosened and shoved James back, “You better call your men right now, James. Before I kill _you_.”

—

Ruby’s forehead rested on the glass separating everyone from Oscar’s room. She could see the sterile white sheets and walls clearly, the machines flickered while connected to wires that lead to Oscar. His face looked drained of color even from where Ruby stood. 

There were soft murmurs and whispers behind her of her friends sitting on the bench in view of the window or pacing the floor within a stone's throw. They had been here for over an hour ever since the Atlas doctors had taken Oscar out of surgery. 

The minutes since Salem’s disappearance seemed to drag on like days. Ruby could still hear the hollow sound of General Ironwood’s gunshot, the ear-piercing shriek that could only belong to a child, and the dull thud of his body hitting the floor. The horror of events had left her numb. It didn’t feel real but at the same time- there they all were. And there he was.

Ironwood had left as soon as the Altesan doctors had taken Oscar in. Qrow said he needed to be alone for a bit- but first promising Ruby he wouldn’t wind up in a bar.

“I need to be sober to beat Jimmy’s ass once the kid’s okay,” he had said before walking off, a noticeable twitch in his fist.

Yang was pacing, every once in awhile claiming a violent way to hurt General Ironwood. Blake was trying to calm her down, but would still agree with some of Yang’s (probably) hyperbolic statements.

“He won’t go without punishment, don’t you worry,” Blake would say, squeezing Yang’s hand.

Nora, Ren, and Jaune were almost laying on top of each other. Jaune looked exhausted and was muttering to himself sporadically.

“What if I didn’t do enough-“ he would say and Nora would squeeze him harder.

“No, you saved him,” she whispered back.

“Was I fast enough?” He would ask another few moments later and Ren would pull Jaune’s head closer.

“You did the best you could, it’s not your fault,” Ren would say gently.

Weiss couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Sometimes she would walk up and stand next to Ruby then she would start pacing around before sitting on the bench, then the floor and then she would be back up again.

“But what are we going to do?” Yang spoke louder this time, waving a hand to the glass and the visage of Oscar just beyond it, “he tried to _kill_ Oscar. _Oscar_.”

Jaune glanced up from his stupor. “We can’t just leave now, I can’t imagine Oscar can be moved far for days, if not weeks.”

“We need Ironwood _for now_ ,” Weiss spoke up, “just until we know Oscar is better, but what then?”

Nora narrowed her eyes dangerously, “we’re not staying- that’s for sure. Why the hell would _anyone_ do that?”

“From what I heard from the general and Qrow,” Blake spoke up, “it sounded like Ozpin made some sort of… suicide pact. I’m not saying what he did was in any way okay, but I can understand the theory behind him. Oz can’t die. If he dies he just goes into another body so if he were to get captured by Salem, it would be stupid of her to just kill him- he would just come back in a handful of months. It slows him down but doesn’t stop him. With Oscar, she probably could have kept Oz out of the way for… sixty… seventy years.”

“I can’t imagine Salem would treat him kindly either,” Jaune added darkly, “But Oscar- he’s just-“

“A kid,” Ruby finished, “he’s fourteen. I was fifteen when I started at Beacon and you all thought I was too young for it. This is so much _more_ than that.”

“Deciding to be captured for your entire life by an evil grim lady or _dying?”_ Nora growled, “No one should be making those kinds of decisions.”

“And definitely not a child,” Ren agreed sadly.

“But he didn’t,” Yang spoke up, “that bastard Ironwood was going off what Ozpin told him to do, not Oscar!”

“He probably thought it was better than the alternative,” Weiss murmured, “Not like there’s any good decisions, much less a _right_ one.” Weiss stared into her hands, “I know it’s kind of… screwed up to say, but this really was the best outcome.”

The air grew cold with that realization, Yang’s eyes were blazing, Jaune stared at his hands as they trembled while Nora and Ren held on.

“What- you want us to _thank him?”_ Yang yelled.

“No!” Weiss quickly shot back, “I agree with all of you- this was deplorable. I’m sure we could have figured something out to save him without this happening. I just think we should as Oscar what he thinks. I’m just as upset as you, I just think that this ended better than it could have, and we should ask Oscar what he wants the next course of action should be. _He_ was the one who almost died.”

The hallway grew quiet again. Yang let out a long breath and sat down on the floor next to the bench, Blake settling down next to her. They fell into a stupor again. Watching the line of Oscar’s heartbeat, making sure it didn’t stop.

— 

Qrow returned from blowing off steam to an unsurprising sight. The kids sitting all together outside of Oscar’s room. Hands clasped, shoulders pressing, a somber feeling in the air.

“How are you all holding up?” Qrow asked as he settled down on the wall opposite them.

“Fine,” Ruby replied in a dull voice.

“Qrow,” Yang spoke up, “what did Ironwood mean? When he said something about Oz asking for this.”

Qrow sighed, burying his head in between his knees. “Ozpin- tried to be careful. He didn’t want Salem to capture him. Salem’s smarter than to just kill him when she has the option to keep him alive and out of the fight. He told us, not to let him be taken alive. Glynda and I opposed it, obviously. Ironwood didn’t seem pleased with the idea either but…” Qrow chuckled darkly, “he must have taken it to heart.”

Qrow aimlessly messed with his hair, “Oz… would remember things sometimes, out of the blue. He would change things or tell us to remember something important after recalling something. When he told us this he uh… looked like he hadn’t had much sleep.” Qrow glanced up hesitantly, a stressed expression growing on his face, “I don’t know what caused him to suddenly give us that directive, but it couldn’t have been good.”

“Do you…think general was making the… right call?” Nora asked in a small voice.

Qrow’s brow bunched, he stared down at the floor. “I don’t think it was, but I think things could have ended up worse as well.”

—

Oscar wasn’t sure when he was awake and when he was dreaming. Sometimes he would drift in a pale room as distant beeps and whirs could be heard as if smothered in cotton. Other times he would find himself laying the in fields of his home, limbs heavy and keeping him to the ground. Scenes drifted past him. Faces, Places, rooms, voices, textures, tastes and smells.

At one point he drifted up from the haze into a room that looked vaguely familiar to him. A figure sat beside him, gently brushing his hair. 

“Go back to sleep Ozma,” a gentle feminine voice murmured, “You’re sick and need your rest.” The woman sat there, with her long golden-blonde hair held back, worry lines in her young pale face that framed a pair of sad blue eyes.

Oscar opened his mouth, it felt dry and coated in the taste of iron. 

“Salem…?” His voice, raspier and deeper escaped his throat.

She smiled a bit and brushed his cheek, “my love, there’s no need to worry, I will take care of you. Gods willing, you will feel better in the morning. For now, just rest.”

Oscar tried to open his eyes more, to try to speak, to protest, but his eyelids just grew heavier before he plunged back into the darkness again.

When Oscar surfaced again the room changed, but the soft stroking of his cheek wasn’t any different.

“I brought you some medicine, love, are you awake enough to take it?”

The voice was just as gentle, but the figure had changed. The same face but dark eyes with red iris, skin, and hair white as death, but her voice was gentle and her fingers tried to soothe him.

“…Salem?” Oscar breathed again. A different voice than before leaving his lips.

Salem lifted his head gently, “just a small drink, you’ll be better by sunrise. They promised me.”

Oscar didn’t miss the desperate quiver in her voice. The worry lines were more pronounced now, and her hand trembled as she lifted his back.

The thick liquid tasted like dust to Oscar, and each sensation felt distant but he could almost swear he felt a syrup coating the roof of his mouth as Salem set him down again.

Oscar once again tried to speak, to talk to her, to figure out why- but once again his eyes grew heavy as he began to hear a soft melodic humming come from the distance as he sunk back down into the darkness.

It felt like forever and no time at all when he surfaced next. He could still feel a hand on his cheek, but this time in felt _grimy_ , it felt _invasive_. All the other times, even though Oscar new that the one touching him was the one who wanted him dead, something in him just relaxed at the gentleness.

This touch didn’t feel gentle or sincere. Oscar opened his eyes again, this time the face of Salem didn’t drift into view with a worried expression, but instead she was right in front of his face, red eyes piercing him.

Oscar could feel a dull ache in his head, it hurt to breathe, and even though he couldn’t move before in his previous visions- this time he felt bound rather than weighed down by a weakened body.

“Oh Ozma,” Salem’s voice was no longer gentle. It sounded pointed and sharp as she dragged her nails through Oscar’s hair. The locks Salem gripped onto were much longer than Oscar’s and he could feel the digging of the woman’s nails into his scalp. “It’s been quite some time since we met like this.”

Oscar found some strength to struggle, even though Salem’s nails dug in more has he tried. “Salem- let me go.” This time, the voice that left Oscar’s mouth felt lighter, not as deep, but not that young either.

Salem laughed. A cold laugh that made Oscar feel cold. “Of course not, my dear. I know your game now. I kill you, you come back in a couple of months with a new face. I know it sets you back quite a bit, but then I thought to myself- what would be better, killing you and having you reappear like a cockroach I thought I killed already? Or keep you here, right where I can see you.” Salem’s grip tightened again as she pulled on his hair. Oscar couldn’t hold back a yelp of pain.

“So no, I won’t let you go. You’re going to live the rest of that sorry excuse for a body’s lifetime, right here,” The edges of Salem’s lips edged upwards into a wicked smile, it shot fear into Oscar’s body as he found himself struggling again before a hard slap sent him clattering to the ground in pain. He could feel a stream of blood run from his nose, and Oscar found himself trembling now. “My love, there’s no need to worry, I will take good care of you.”

Oscar shot up from the dream. Trying to scramble away from the ghost of hands reaching for him only to find himself bound again, lines of wires and tubes that followed him as he tried to move, a cacophony or beeping sounds ringing out in the room like an alarm made Oscar only struggle harder. He could feel a pang in his side and a rasp to his breath but Oscar disregarded it. Salem would be here any minute.

He almost tripped over the bone-white sheets that clung to him. He pulled away from some of the restating wires which only caused more alarms to sound as he looked around in a panic for a door. Oscar’s feet felt cold on the hard tile ground and everything swayed as he got up, but Oscar would sooner stumble out of this place-

On the other side of the room, there was a slam of the door as a figure came in, just as pale as everything else and everything was blurry and almost swimming as Oscar stumbled over his own feet.

“Hey, you aren’t supposed to be-“

Oscar rushed at the figure and almost knocked all the breath out of himself as he pushed them away and broke for the door.

The hallway was just as pale as the room he was kept in. More figures reached out for him and Oscar narrowly dodged their hands as they came into focus. 

Oscar ducked under another outstretched hand as two grabbed his sides. He wheeled his face around to the one who grabbed him. This figure wasn’t pale as bone as the others were. It was fuzzy but Oscar could make out a hazy lump of black and red gripping him.

“Oscar.”

Oscar felt a wave of dizziness and relief wash through him at the sound of his own name. The figure was still hazy but Oscar could narrowly make out silver eyes and dark hair. More pigmented shapes blurred into view. He could see a vibrant yellow figure and a darker figure standing over them as they rushed over. 

“Oscar what are you doing?” A raspy voice spoke up, taking over the grip of the red blur, a dark shape that leads him to sit on the floor.

Over voices murmured and the raspy voice answered them. “We’ll get him back into bed, just let him calm down a moment.”

Oscar squinted at the figures, the yellow blur gently ruffles his hair as a bright voice spoke to him. “Quite a good escape attempt there, unfortunately, it’s hard to outrun my sister.”

Oscar blinked a few times as the blurs slowly focused. The hallway no longer seemed a bright expanse of white and solidified into something much more recognizable. The pale figures settled into people, barely holding themselves back from diving in, masks over their noses and gloves on their hands. 

The darker shades before him also became people as well. Qrow was holding him up, keeping him sitting on the cold tile floor. Ruby’s hand rested on Oscar’s shoulder, a worried expression on her face. Yang leaned over her, looking tired yet relieved. 

“Q-Qrow? Ruby? Yang?” Oscar murmured in a dry voice. As the world settled around him, the jittery feeling in his limbs settled into exhaustion and Oscar could now feel every part of his body pulsing with pain.

“Hey, kid,” Qrow chuckled, “You can’t just run out of a hospital.”

Oscar blinked a couple more times as the pieces fell into place, the hazy shapes in his mind making a complete picture. 

Oscar had woken up in a panic, causing the machines monitoring him to go off when he pulled himself away from them, they had gone off more. A doctor had come in to check on him, then Oscar had bum-rushed them, shoved them to the ground and escaped into the hallway, only to be caught by not the small group of doctors who had responded to the sudden loss of vital signs from him, but by Ruby who must have been in the hallway.

“Oh,” Oscar said in a dazed voice.

Qrow turned around to the small group of doctors who were there. “I’ll pick him up and get him back inside, that good?”

“Yes, yes thank you,” one replied as Qrow leaned down, gently gathering Oscar into his arms and carrying him back into the room he had escaped from.

Oscar sat back in a stupor as doctors reattached monitors and tubes to him. Qrow, Yang, and Ruby started talking nonsense to him as the doctors moved around him.

“Marrow fell off the landing strip yesterday after Elm shoved him, he’s okay so we can laugh at it” and “Nora and Ren have been learning how to make ‘proper’ hot chocolate from Flint” and so on.

Oscar found himself short of breath and hazy until one doctor handed him a mask and after Oscar started breathing through it, he didn’t realize how light-headed he really had been. Oscar tried to clear his head again through the chatter and the movement before he spoke.

“How… Why am I here? What happened?” Oscar rubbed his head.

The three of them exchanged looks.

“You were out for a bit, there,” Yang said carefully, “what do you remember?”

Oscar squinted, thanking, taking shallow breaths as deeper ones hurt.

“I… I think we were with Ironwood and the others? Something happened, I can’t remember it was just a… a blur. And then, then I was drifting for a while,” Oscar tried to swallow to clear his dry mouth, “I saw… I thought I saw Salem… a couple of times. The first few… I think they were… memories? I couldn’t move and I felt… heavy and weak and she was there… just talking to me…” Oscar’s face twitched as the image of Salem’s third appearance came up in his head. “Then… I… I couldn’t move again… but it hurt and Salem was there… and she…”

“Hey, don’t overwork yourself, kid,” Qrow patted his hand, “before the memories, after the meeting with Ironwood- do you remember any of that?”

Oscar’s brow furrowed. “I… not really. Was there… a fight? And I got hurt?”

Their expressions didn’t really inspire confidence, Oscar figures as they all frowned and looked at each other. There was something else.

“Was… was Salem there? Was that why I dreamed about her?” Oscar asked in a small voice, pressing a hand to his side where the doctors had just re-wrapped a wound there. They told Oscar not to look, but he could feel a sharp pain that started on the edge of his skin and sunk until it hit his lung, where it burned when he breathed too deeply.

Ruby frowned, “y-yeah.”

Oscar looked away, holding his side. He couldn’t remember. Had… had Salem tried to kill him? It was possible.

Salem’s voice echoed through his head, _what would be better, killing you and having you reappear like a cockroach I thought I killed already? Or keep you here, right where I can see you?_

“Did… did she try to take me?” Oscar whispered.

There was dead silence. That was all the confirmation he needed.

Oscar let out a trembling breath and wiped the tears that had begun to gather on his cheeks. “It… It’s okay. I’m okay. You all saved me.” Oscar looked up to them with a shaky smile but instead of a look of relief or tired happiness, there was only a hollow look of guilt.

“W-What?” Oscar asked in a breathy voice, “What’s wrong? Is everyone okay?”

“Oscar, Oscar,” Yang grabbed his hand with her flesh one and squeezed his palm gently, “everyone’s fine. Calm down.”

Ruby patted his knee, “You… you were just out for a long time, it’s been almost a week. We were all just really worried about you.”

“Oh,” Oscar tried to calm down again, breathing as deeply as he dared. “I uh… almost died then… huh?”

Qrow leaned onto Oscar’s hospital bed, “thankfully Jaune was right on the job until Atlas personnel were there. But we knew you’d pull through, you’re a tough kid.”

Oscar let out a small chuckle. 

“You’re getting on your way to being fixed up there, farm boy,” Yang grinned, giving him a playful swat, “you wanna hear what you’re in for?”

Oscar smirked, “better to know than to wait.”

“Your broken nose healed up pretty quick,” Ruby chimed in.

“It was your collapsed lung and blood loss that scared the shit out of us,” Qrow grumbled.

Yang beamed, “you’re unlucky kid, I asked them if you were getting a cool metal lung and they said no, that your flesh one would make it.”

Oscar snorted at that, “it wouldn’t be that cool.”

“Hell yeah it would,” Yang joked, “we could have been the bionic duo. Half huntsman, half cool Robo body parts.”

Oscar started laughing, having to catch his breath between short bursts.

“Oscar! It was such a loss,” Yang pressed, “think of the lost marketing!”

Oscar let out a sputtering laugh, it was hard to catch his breath again, but the moments of the warm relieved smiles of his friends made Oscar feel much better even though he was gasping between laughs.

“Alright alright,” one of the doctors shooed Yang off of Oscar, “he’s still recovering, you have to be careful.”

Yang chuckled sheepishly as Oscar tried to even out his breath again. Ruby jabbed her sister in response while Qrow flashed them a look of warning, albeit, an amused one.

When the fits of laughter subsided, Oscar let out a shuddering breath before speaking again, “where’s everyone else?”

“Well you _have_ been out for a while,” Qrow said, “after the first two days we started coming in shifts so the others could get some rest and maybe get some things done.”

Oscar nodded, trying to settle down again. “That makes sense, is… is everyone doing okay then? I must uh… must have made you worry quite a bit.”

“Everyone is fine,” Ruby answered, “just worried about you. We can call them over right now if you want, they’ll be really happy to know you’re okay.”

Oscar shuffled, “yeah… I would like that.”

Yang gave a quick wave and walked out to the hallway as Qrow and Ruby finally commandeered some chairs. Ruby leaned on the bed, cupping her head in her hands and swung her legs absently. Qrow sat closer to Oscar’s head, looking more tired and worn than Oscar recalled last seeing him.

_I must have really given them a scare there_ , Oscar thought. He could recall the days after the Haven fight, the group was cautious and babied him quite a bit, but Oscar could firmly recall the relief on their faces. They had seemed worried then, but the tone was much different from now. 

Qrow reached out a hand, pushing the bangs out of Oscar’s face. Oscar immediately flinched back with a gasp, making Qrow recoil, holding his hands up.

“Woah Woah, kid,” Qrow tried to soothe as Oscar pulled away, pulling himself into a small ball, “what’s wrong?”

Oscar shook his head and let out a shuddering breath again. Trying to ignore the pang in his chest. “I’m… I’m fine. I’m fine.” Oscar fiddled with his bangs nervously, “just got spooked.”

Qrow and Ruby looked nervous again. “Did you… remember something?” Ruby asked in a hushed voice.

“Just… just Salem.” Oscar admitted, “the dreams that I had… the things I remembered… I think the first two ones were when… when Ozma was sick. Salem was taking care of him.” Oscar couldn’t help but to shiver, “then uh… she wasn’t.” Oscar felt a nauseous pang in his stomach. 

Ruby tentatively rested a hand on Oscar’s shoulder, giving him time to move away or refuse, “You don’t need to tell us now, Oscar.” She spoke softly, “you should focus on getting better, and I don’t think getting worked up will help.”

“Yeah, no,” Oscar chuckled lightly, rubbing his own arm.

Ruby smiled again, “should we tell the others to be careful?”

Oscar hesitated but nodded. “J-just don’t touch my face for now?”

Qrow nodded, “of course, kid.” 

—

By the time everybody else arrived Oscar was really tired, but he tried his best to be awake to see them all. Nora almost tackled him and both Ren and Jaune grabbed her before she leaped.

“Oscar!” She called brightly before almost tripping from the yanking back from her teammates.

Oscar smiled back, “Hey.”

“You scared us half to death,” Weiss chastised as she walked in, leaning onto the wall of the hospital room.

“Sorry?” Oscar replied, sounding more sheepish than apologetic.

Blake sighed, “As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.” She walked up behind Ruby and leaned on her leader’s chair, “how are you feeling?”

“Tired, sore,” Oscar replied truthfully, “it hurts a bit to breathe.”

Nora blanched, "Oh no! Is that normal? Should we call someone?"

Ren didn't waste time looping his arm around Nora's again, "I'm fairly certain that would be normal after having a pierced lung. He's still recovering, after all."

Nora relaxed and Ren let her go.

Oscar fought back a laugh. "Thank you, though. Jaune especially."

Jaune looked surprised, "huh?"

"Qrow told me that you saved me, I really appreciate it," Oscar smiled and Jaune mirrored it.

"Of course I did, there's no way I would just stand by," Jaune said sincerely.

Oscar shrugged, "Still figured a thank you would be in order. To you and everyone else. I don't really remember what happened but- I know Salem showed up, and you all saved me, you all deserve to know that I appreciate it." Oscar smiled as widely as he could from behind his mask.

It was quiet again. That look was back. They all looked _guilty_. Why would they- they shouldn't, it didn't make sense.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked again, gripping the sheets on him, "You... You keep getting that look. Is... is there something I don't _know?"_

The guilty look only got stronger on all their faces.

"A-Are you guys _keeping_ something from me? I thought we agreed we wouldn't do that to each other!" Oscar continued, looking around at everyone, a few of them looked at him sadly, while others looked away.

"Oscar," Jaune spoke up, "It was just scary-"

"No!" Oscar snapped back, wincing at the sharp stab of pain in his chest. "I don't know why I'm here, or what happened, there's a gap of time I don't remember and something happened then, something bad, something to do with _me._ You can't just not _tell me."_

"Oscar, it's not because we don't want you to know," Blake replied calmly, "You're still hurt, we don't think it's a good time to tell you."

Oscar quickly turned to Ruby, breath quickening as she looked away, not meeting his eyes, "You... you aren't just... you can't just-"

"You need to calm down, Oscar," Ren interrupted gently, "You're going to hurt yourself. We just want you to get better first, then we can talk about this."

Oscar shuttered, he could feel hot tears pooling in his eyes, his chest ached, the pinpoint in his side burned. A spot, just off to the side and under where his heart was.

"F-fine," Oscar growled. "But you have to swear. You have to tell me. There's no secrets."

"We will," Ruby promised.

\--

The doctors chewed them out anyway. The next day they forbade them all from coming in.

"He's on bed rest, you can't just work him up like that," one snapped at Qrow.

Qrow rolled his eyes, "Yeah, we know. But you all were the ones who let him run out because you didn't listen to me."

The doctor rolled their eyes, "We're sorry, you told us to treat him like a Huntsman but he's just a kid, of course, someone would let their guard down."

"Whatever, let us know if anything changes," Qrow waved his scroll, almost condescendingly before rejoining the larger group, "Sorry kids."

"It's fine," Yang sighed, "We should let him cool off anyway. He has every right to be upset."

Weiss nodded, "I feel really bad about it, but I can't imagine he would have responded well if we told him this was Ironwood's fault."

Ruby hugged her arms, "Uncle Qrow, do you think that... what Oscar said when Yang was out getting everyone... do you think he remembered the same thing Ozpin did which made him..."

"Maybe," Qrow frowned, "He seemed really freaked out when he woke up and then whenever it came up. Then he also asked about Salem trying to take him. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that he might have."

Ren's eyes narrowed, "He shouldn't be thinking about this kind of stuff. Dying. Killing himself. Asking others to make sure he was dead."

"We still need to talk to him about it," Jaune replied, not sounding even the vaguest bit happy about the idea, "Weiss was right, he should be the one to decide what we do about Ironwood."

"I agree," Nora muttered, "but- I still don't want to tell him. Does that make sense?"

"Co-signed," Yang grumbled raising her hand barely to her shoulder, a disheartened ripple of agreement came from all of them, all of them also noncommittally raising their hands.

"Well, then our order of business of the day is- figure out how we're going to tell him," Qrow huffed.

Damn, he really wanted a drink right about now.

\--

James was kept notified about Oscar’s condition. Every day after Salem’s attack he got a short report every day about the boy from the Atlas Military Hospital. The first few days were the most stressful, the updates were written the usual matter-of-fact tone that James was used to from the Hospital between the sporadic visits from high-ranking officials injured in the field and the daily updates about the winter maiden. The straight forward reports didn’t really calm his nerves especially when he got three days straight of:

[Oscar Pine is recovering as predicted, but still unconscious]

It really made him jump when he got a notification from them in the middle of the day almost a week after Salem’s attack. [Oscar Pine has regained consciousness and responds as normal. However, escaped his room as soon as he woke up. He is back now.]

Ironwood couldn’t help but worry about those last two lines. Had Oscar remembered what happened and attempted to escape Atlas for fear of his life? Even so, James felt a bit more at ease knowing that the boy was awake.

That night, at the usual time, he got another message.

[Oscar Pine has aggravated his injuries. The huntsmen Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao-Long, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren visited with him. He has been distressed.]

Ironwood frowned at that. He wasn’t shocked that the group of them had gone in to see him the moment he was awake, and if he had run around the hospital before finally getting cornered and/or calmed down by the staff, it wasn’t shocking to think the boy might have aggravated some of the stitching, scabbing, and fresh flesh that was holding him together. But distressed?

Either he remembered what happened or the others had told him. Considering his escape attempt, Ironwood bet the former rather than the latter. No, James couldn’t avoid this. He had to face Oscar for himself and try to both explain and… apologize. James felt deep guilt for having hurt the child but he wouldn’t have gone back and done anything differently, even if the worst of his decision would come to pass. Either way, he had saved a child from a lifetime suffering under Salem. It was what Ironwood had promised he would do. 

James waited for the late morning to pass before he made his way to the hospital. He wanted to be sure he wouldn’t be waking up Oscar or interrupting anything medical. And well- he was also hoping that by going later he would miss Qrow and the group of young huntsmen. 

Ironwood walked confidently into the building and turned to walk straight to Oscar’s room when a pointed “eh-hem” caught his attention.

The receptionist, a young man with a small name tag reading Cyan, was glaring pointedly at him. 

“You could at least _attempt_ to sign in first General Ironwood,” Cyan said with a serious, yet teasing tone.

Ironwood rolled his eyes a bit, “Well, I suppose protocol is key.” The general walked back to the desk and scanned his ID as Cyan leaned back to his terminal.

“Who are you here to see today, sir?” Cyan asked in a much more ‘customer-service’ tone of voice rather than the previous snark.

“Oscar Pine.”

Cyan paused and glanced back at the general. “It says here he is not allowed visitors today, I’m sorry, you’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

Ironwood just stared with a stone-cold face at the receptionist. 

“I figured you would say that,” Cyan huffed, “According to the file that I can see, he’s confined to bed rest for the day after aggravating his injuries, one such factor to that was assumed to be his copious amount of guests to which he overexerted himself. He is apparently doing okay last time he was checked on which was when one of the nurses brought him some books from the library because he wasn’t allowed his scroll back.” Cyan looked back up from his screen, “Anything else, sir?”

Ironwood leaned against the desk, “I will be the only one going in, so it will be fine.”

Cyan paused but waved for Ironwood to pass, “even if I say no, you’re going to go anyway. Cherry said you were persistent when she warned me about you stopping by today. I’ll put it down in the file though, so if you get in trouble it's not my fault because I tried.”

Ironwood nodded sternly and continued on his way. Even though it was a nuisance, it was still good information. Oscar was well today and was at least present enough to ask for books. It also meant that Qrow and his gaggle of young huntsmen wouldn’t show up either.

James found himself pausing in front of the door. He took a quick calming breath before knocking twice and opening the door.

The small hospital room was sterile and bare as usual but James could see Oscar sitting up in bed. The mattress was moved so he would sit up and the boy was half-hunched over a hardcover book with a big library sticker on the spine. The boy was still connected to some machines and an oxygen mask was hanging around his neck loosely.

At James’s entrance, Oscar looked up from his book. James half-expected Oscar to throw his hardback at him but instead, Oscar beamed- warm and bright.

“General Ironwood!” Oscar exclaimed, reaching over to the desk beside him which had a small pile of similar hardback books, grabbing a cheap-looking library bookmark, marking his place and setting down his book. “I’m so glad to see you! I haven’t gotten the chance to ask if you were okay after everything. Qrow said everyone was fine, but I wanted to be sure.” James blinked in surprise at the boy smiling at him. If he hadn’t remembered what had transpired during the fight with Salem or had Ruby, Qrow and the others tell him what happened, why did his report say he was distressed? Was- Was is just that Oscar didn’t like hospitals or maybe didn’t like being surrounded by strangers? 

“I’m… just fine,” James reported cautiously, “How are you?”

Oscar shifted a bit. “I’ve been _better_ for sure.” The boy gingerly touched his side, the spot where James could vividly recall being soaked with blood as James held him. “It hurts a bit to breathe, but I’m better than this morning, I was coughing a lot.” Oscar absently smoothed his sheets, “One of the nurses brought me books. She said she has a son my age and that these are his favorite.”

“Oh,” James remarked, “How… sweet.”

“They wouldn’t let me have my scroll though,” Oscar muttered, “but I…. think it’s for the best.”

“Books better to ignore the scenery?” James guessed, pulling out a wheeled swivel chair from the desk a few feet away and sitting down next to Oscar, “It’s never very comfortable to be trapped in a hospital room.”

Oscar paused and shrugged, “I… I guess.” The boy picked at the edge of the sheet. “I’m… I’m actually kind of glad visitors weren’t allowed today too.”

James paused before moving to get up, “Oh well- I can leave if you want-”

“No no!” Oscar quickly cut James off, “I’m happy to see you, I… I wanted to ask you about something.”

James squinted, now unsure. “Do you... Not want to talk to the others?”

Oscar shook his head, “I’m… I’m mad at them right now.”

James was immediately set off guard. “What? Why?” It… didn’t make any sense.

Osar shifted again, “They’re keeping something from me. I tried to ask them about what happened to me, it’s all hazy for me. I remember going with the others to see you and then… nothing. I figured out with talking to the others that Salem appeared. And I uh… I think she tried to kidnap me and then everyone saved me but at the same time something bad happened. They kept telling me that I wasn’t well enough, but I _hate_ secrets. Knowing they’re keeping something from me, it hurts. Especially when it has to do with me.” Oscar shakily met James’s eyes. “General Ironwood… what happened last week?”

James felt his heart hit his stomach. This had to be some sort of cosmic punishment. It wasn’t fair. 

James didn’t deserve fair anyway. He was looking down at a fourteen-year-old he had personally tried to shoot and kill who was now asking what had happened to him. This could go a couple of ways. James could refuse, saying that Qrow and the others had been right, Oscar was still too injured to be given stressful information, Oscar would be upset with him as well and may calm down after a second adult and another person agreeing to wait for the information, Oscar might actually take it, but as soon as the information got to him, Oscar would see through the- while technically correct- cop-out. James could lie. Oscar would feel better in the moment but would be furious when he found out the truth. Or- Or James could tell him the truth. It would surely work the boy up, not helping his condition, but Oscar would know that James owned up to his actions and was honest- a trait James had found that Oscar held very highly.

“Well, it had to do with Oz,” James started, “I… I feel like I should give you some context?” Oscar hesitated but nodded, curling his legs up to his chest.

“Ozpin and I were good friends for a long time, you already know this, but he trusted me enough to tell me his secrets and would keep me updated on the conflict with Salem,” Ironwood began, “I think, the hundreds of years and many lifetimes must be hard to sift through because sometimes he would tell us new things, things he remembered, every once in a while. Shift things with this new perspective in mind.”

Oscar nodded quietly.

“Ozpin once told me- told all of us in his inner circle- that Salem was a cruel person, and that he had been captured by her before… maybe a couple of times.”

Oscar glanced up in surprise. “I- I had a dream about that. Yesterday, before I woke up. That’s what made me guess what happened.”

James’s expression saddened at the thought, recalling the haunted look in Ozpin’s eyes that night. The run from the hospital room made sense now, Oscar had woken up from a bad memory and panicked. “I’m… I’m sorry to hear that. Are you okay?”

Oscar nodded. “It scared me, a lot. It makes me happy that you guys saved me, though. I- I’ve been a bit jumpy since then.”

The worry lines in James’s face deepened.

Oscar’s eyes flashed. “That… everyone else looked like that when I said that,” Oscar murmured, “it had to do with you all saving me?”

James looked down at his hands, “Ozpin came to us after he remembered something like that. I don’t think I’d ever seen him look that way. He gave us an order.” James slowly looked over at Oscar, forcing himself to look the boy in the eyes. “He told us, that we had to do whatever we could to make sure Salem never captured him alive.”

Oscar’s expression changed slowly, James’s pounding heart made it feel like it was forever between the look of sadness, to surprise, to shock, then to fearful realization. Oscar slowly lifted his hand again, brushing the spot that was dangerously close to his heart.

“You…” Oscar breathed, “It was _you_. You… you tried to _kill me.”_ His hazel eyes were blown wide.

James couldn’t help but look away. “Oscar, none of us could catch her, she was going to get away and take you with her.”

“So you tried to kill me?” Oscar yelled, “Oh, I get it. I’m just another one of Ozpin’s many bodies if it’s not convenient for you to lose him, why not just get _a new one.”_

James shook his head, “Oscar, it’s not like that. I couldn’t stand the thought of you living the rest of your life with Salem, probably tortured until she got what she wanted. And with Oz still missing there would be no one to try to protect you.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Oscar shot back, “I felt like I was stuck in that dream for _days_ and all the memories from that body were hazy but I knew they were just praying to stay alive long enough to see the people they loved again- I _felt_ what it was like and yeah- I felt like I wanted to die a lot, but it’s _my choice!”_ Oscar yelled that last line before gasping for breath, holding his chest, “I haven’t felt in control of anything for months, I want to save people, I want to defeat Salem, I want to make the world a better place but I can’t tell where the line is between _my_ wants and _his.”_ Oscar’s eyes fluttered and he let out a round of coughs and winced.

James reached out, concerned now, “Oscar, are you-?”Oscar weakly batted away his arm as some of the machines around him started to beep loudly. “D-Don’t touch me!” The boy was gasping for air now, his face twisted up in pain.

“Oscar-” James tried to reach out again but then the door slammed open as three doctors rushed in. 

One Immediately grabbed James, “General Ironwood, you’re not supposed to be in here!” 

“But-” he tried to protest but they shoved him out the room and shut the door.

\--

[I told you so. -C]

\--

Ruby had a plan. She knew that Oscar still wasn’t well enough to deal with the situation, even though she agreed that whatever they did from here was going to be his choice. But he wouldn’t know that, and he was rightfully upset being left in the dark.

_Just a little longer, Oscar,_ Ruby prayed. She didn’t want the kid going through more trouble by being stuck in the hospital alone with such heavy information. But until then, she needed him to understand that they all cared.

She explained her idea to the group. First, bringing fewer people. All of them crowding Oscar wasn’t going to help, so if a small group of people that Oscar was closer with explained why they had to wait, it may be easier to handle. 

Ruby took a while to consider who to bring. Ren was the first one on her mind. Ren was always a calming presence, with and without his semblances, and Oscar enjoyed being around him. The two had been baking together whenever they had free time to do so. 

Ruby almost thought against bringing Nora since she was so high energy, but Nora was smart, she would know to keep down her goofs. Nora was always so affectionate with Oscar and he seemed the most comfortable with her, out of anyone in the group, touching him.

She fought over her decision for a fourth member for a bit longer before settling on Blake. Blake was calming, straight forward, and honest. It wasn’t uncommon to see Blake and Oscar reading quietly nearby. Ruby remembered fondly the time that she had gone looking for Blake to find her sitting on a couch in the library, reading with Oscar laying on the remaining space, a throw pillow leaning against Blake as Oscar had his head on it.

Ruby then considered adding Weiss and Qrow to the group, but then realized that bringing even more people would just go against why she was cutting down the numbers in the first place. 

The three of them were happy to go, and the four others were content to stay.

“I’m only a little offended,” Weiss teased lightly. “Just let him know we all want him to get better soon.”

“Of course,” Blake responded, “it’s not like you guys are avoiding him, we’re just- cutting down on pressure.”

Jaune ran back to JNR’s room then handed Ren a small bag, “Blake and I grabbed some books for Oscar yesterday, he’s probably bored out of his mind when we’re not around.”

Nora beamed, “Oh, such a good idea! Should we bring him some cookies?”

“I’m not sure they’ll let us bring outside food,” Ren frowned, “But we can ask for tomorrow.”

Nora slumped dramatically, “Boo.”

Yang snickered and heartily patted Nora on the shoulder, “Just give him our best.”

Ruby smiled, “We will.”

The group made their way to the hospital, a path that had become much too familiar in the past week, shuffling inside to the front desk.

Sitting there was a semi-familiar face, one of the two revolving receptionists, a young man only a couple years older than them, Cyan. He was a Faunus, not that you could clearly tell as he sat behind the desk, his tail tucked behind him, but Blake had struck up a casual conversation with him during the week they had been waiting for Oscar to wake up. He was a bit of a snark, but according to what Blake figured out, he was trying to finish up a medical degree and was just doing his best to stay awake most days between school and work. He probably had little energy for patience or other people's bullshit.

“Good morning Cyan,” Blake up as they approached.

Cyan’s slightly distracted (probably exhausted) expression shifted to a frown when he locked eyes with Blake. 

“Oh man,” Cyan sighed, rubbing his forehead, “I was hoping you all wouldn’t show up today.”

Nora huffed, crossing her arms, “What? Not happy to see us? We’re delightful!”

“Of course,” Cyan said, scratching his undercut, still looking distressed, “which is why I’m not happy to tell you to leave.”

Ruby’s eyebrows shot down into a scowl, “What?”

“You’re all here to see Oscar, as usual, right?” Cyan asked rhetorically, “No visitors today. Period.”

Nora slammed her hands on the counter, “What?! But that’s what they said yesterday! They told us to come back tomorrow, and, guess what? It’s tomorrow!”

“Yes, it is,” Cyan groaned, “it’s still a no.”

Ren gently pulled Nora back as Blake stepped forward. “Why? Has he still not gotten better? He was put on bed rest all of yesterday.”

“Hate to say it but he’s gotten worse,” Cyan reported, sounding genuinely sorry. “Yesterday, it seems he worked himself up so much his lung collapsed. They think he might have had a panic attack caused the wound to reopen.”

The group froze.

“What?” Ruby whispered, “Is he okay?”

Cyan nodded, “we were right on it, but he’s in intensive care until they’re sure he won’t relapse again. I’m…” Cyan paused and looked around before leaning forward and gesturing for all of them to lean in. “I’m not supposed to tell you but General Ironwood came in yesterday. He was warned to take it easy on him but the General was in the room when his lung collapsed, and apparently, he’s been really despondent whenever he’s been awake. I’m not saying it’s General Ironwood’s fault but uh-“ Cyan shrugged.

Immediately everyone turned from concerned to furious. Ruby was trying her best to stay calm and it looks like Ren was doing a good job of keeping himself under control. Blake’s ears had flattened and Nora’s fists were shaking.

“Bastard,” Nora spat.

Blake’s eyes suddenly widened, “Do you think… he told Oscar?”

“He wouldn’t have… would he?” Ruby frowned.

“It’s what I think would be the most likely possibility. He had a panic attack, after all.” Ren turned to Cyan again, “Are you sure we can’t go in and see him?”

“Listen, I don’t know the whole story here,” Cyan held up his arms and shook his head, “But I don’t want to get chewed out for this. I can tell that all of you mean well, but the kid is worse than when you saw him last, it’s not a good idea.”

Everyone slumped.

“Maybe we could get a card and put it with the books?” Nora suggested, sounding rather frustrated, “can we send in books?”

Cyan nodded, “just uh- don’t write anything that will work him up. He doesn’t need any more excitement.”

They all sighed. 

—

According to the clock on the wall, it was two in the morning when Oscar woke up and immediately knew he was not falling back asleep any time soon.

He had drifted in and out all day, catching brief views of the clock on the wall before nodding off again. But now he felt more aware and awake than before.

Oscar’s head felt fuzzy as he laid there, breathing hurt, but it wasn’t a struggle anymore. In place of that, there was a sharp sting in his side where he saw more wires.

Oscar decided against trying to figure it all out for now. It was two am. 

The hospital was dark but there was a switch for a lamp right next to Oscar’s bed and he was happy to have some light in the room. With the light turned on, the corners seemed darker, but it was nice to be able to clearly see the things around him. Oscar glanced at the table. His books from the morning before were still there, but also a small shopping bag.

Confused, Oscar leaned over and was able to hook the bag with his thumb and pull it over. He glanced inside to see two pristine new books and an envelope. Frowning, Oscar grabbed the envelope and turned it around. It wasn’t sealed, only tucked back into itself. Pulling the opening free, Oscar pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

_Oscar,_

_We heard what happened and hope that you are okay. If you know what happened now, we hope you can understand why we didn’t want to tell you right away. Please focus on getting better, we will talk about what to do about all of this once you have recovered a bit more, we’ve all agreed that whatever happens, you get the final word._

_If for some reason that isn’t what happened, I hope this helps you know that we care about what you want to do._

_Please rest up, we will come see you as soon as they let us in._

_Also, enjoy the books, Jaune and Blake thought you might like them._

_Get Well Soon,_

_Ruby, Blake, Ren & Nora_

_PS: Jaune, Yang, Weiss, and Qrow also wish you well they just weren’t here to write the letter :P_

Oscar read over the note once, twice.

Oscar… Oscar supposed he understood. How does anyone tell you these kinds of things? Oscar rubbed his head with a sigh.

_We’ve all agreed that whatever happens, you get the final word._

They wanted his input… well not even his input, his decision on what to do. It made Oscar feel a little bit more settled. Oscar fished the books out of the bag, both were a decent size and softcover. One of the books had a bookmark in it and a sticky note. The bookmark had pressed flowers and foliage in it and the sticky note had a quick jot of “enjoy and feel better B&J”. It made Oscar smile.

He wasn’t going to be falling asleep anytime soon now, Oscar could feel the ache and sting of his injury pressing on him. It wasn’t hard to decide to pick up the book he was working on before and continue where he left off.

Oscar let time pass him by, eventually finishing one book and picking up the next. Usually, Oscar would try his best not to burn through books like this, but he didn’t have much of a choice to do anything else.

He was halfway through the next book when the door to his room opened. Oscar glanced up as one of the nurses, Merlot, walked into the room, a look of surprise on her face when she saw Oscar sitting there with the light on. "How long have you been awake?" She asked, walking up to him while pulling up the chair.

Oscar glanced up at the digital clock to find it only a little after five in the morning. "About three hours."

Merlot sighed but nodded, "You did end up sleeping a lot yesterday, but don't feel like you need to stay up all day. Please just rest as you need to."

"I will, I will," Oscar replied dully but smiled at her anyway. Oscar liked Merlot. She was really nice. She was the one who had brought him books from the library and while he hadn't been able to talk to her a lot, she was very sweet and Oscar generally felt at ease around her. "I finished one of the books, I'm not sure if you want it back now, but I don't want to make them overdue."

Merlot shook her head, "Don't worry about it too much, Oscar. I'm sure you won't be stuck here long enough for that to be a problem."

They fell into small talk as Merlot changed his bandages and checked his breathing, Oscar figured she was trying to distract him, which he didn't really mind. Even after all this mess, Oscar still didn't like seeing blood and he was finding himself to be less and less comfortable in a hospital as each day passed.

"There you go," Merlot smiled, helping Oscar settle back down, "Looking a lot better than yesterday. I think you won't be here much longer than a couple more days as long as you don't get in a mess like two days ago again."

Oscar smirked, "I'll try my best."

Merlot pat his head and Oscar tried not to shy away from it. "Rest up, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Thanks, Miss Merlot!" Oscar called after her as she shut the door with a smile.

Oscar passed by the hours alone with his growing collection of books. He decided to try to finish the library books first as the books Jaune and Blake had gotten him weren't going anywhere. When Merlot came back with food Oscar spoke up to her.

"No one came in yesterday, right?" Oscar asked as he sipped on some milk.

Merlot shook her head, "No, Cyan said some of your friends tried to come in but just left the bag." She pointed at the folded up bookstore bag that laid on the desk now.

"Oh okay," Oscar murmured. So Ironwood hasn't returned since the day prior. Oscar wasn't sure what he'd do if he did, but the thought of the General being back with just Oscar made him nervous now. "Am... Am I allowed visitors today?"

Merlot looked down at her scroll and then back to Oscar, "As long as you take it easy."

"I will," Oscar nodded, putting down his empty cup, "I was just wondering."

Merlot's expression softened, "Well, your friends have been by every day since you came in, I'm sure they'll come by soon."

"Thanks."

Oscar returned to his reading and sure enough, by eleven-o'clock, there was a knock at the door.

"Oscar? Can we come in?" A familiar light voice asked.

Oscar couldn't help but feel a rush of relief. "Yes."

The door opened quickly and quickly four people came running in. Ruby was by his side in a second, Nora right behind her, Blake and Ren weren't far behind as they all got up to him.

"Are you okay?" Nora asked, a genuinely concerned look on her face, "You got our note, right?"

Oscar held up the floral bookmark in his hand in response and smiled lightly.

"Did Ironwood... tell you?" Blake asked lightly before quickly adding, "But if you don't want to talk about this you don't have to."

Oscar just nodded, "Yeah I uh... I know what happened."

Ren reached over and squeezed Oscar's hand, "I'm sorry. We didn't want you to find out like that."

"We do feel bad about not telling you but we were... we were really worried," Ruby added.

Oscar nodded again, "I understand. I'm still not... happy about it, but I can see where you were coming from. Especially since I uh..." Oscar gestured to his side, "Made it worse."

"Of course," Ruby pressed herself against the bed, "You didn't know what was going on, that must have been terrifying especially with all of us keeping secrets. Even if we had good intentions. We're sorry."

Oscar couldn't help but smile, "Thanks. I forgive you. Especially since you all... wanted my final say on what to do."

"You were the one who almost died," Nora spoke carefully, "We don't want you to have to suck up whatever feelings you have just so that we can keep an ally. Although, all of us are more pissed than we've been in forever."

Oscar chuckled lightly, "I'm surprised you uh... didn't kill him."

"Yang almost did," Blake said in a hushed tone.

Oscar shook his head, wiping his cheeks, "Probably not the best idea."

"I don't think so either," Blake agreed.

Ruby frowned, "Do you want to talk about plans now? We'll do whatever you think is best for you when you're safe to leave."

"But what about Atlas?" Oscar asked.

Ruby shook her head, "We don't have to stay with Ironwood to be in Atlas. We have plenty of friends and we can figure something else out."

"This is about what _you_ want, Oscar," Nora said lightly, "I don't know if you remembered what happened when you were told but- it was scary. We all want you to be safe."

Oscar wiped some tears from his eyes again, trying to keep himself from sniffling. "Yeah, I got it. Thank you."

"I'll grab the others," Blake said, "And we'll make a plan."

* * *

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [a pyrrhic victory never feels like a win, does it?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21622558) by [GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe/pseuds/GeraldTheFabulousGiraffe)




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